On a smoldering hot Saturday afternoon in Little Falls, NJ, Nate Robinson looked up at the scoreboard in left-center field at Yogi Berra Stadium. With hardly a cloud to obscure the blue sky, a tribute to his 11-year NBA career played on the screen, displaying moments such as Robinson’s miraculous, game-winning three-pointer over Allen Iverson during his rookie season, highlights from his three Slam Dunk Contest victories, countless in-game dunks and blocks of Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Yao Ming.
At its finish, Robinson turned around, dapped up the guys around him—as if to say thank you—and took his place in the field, ready for the kickball game to start.